Silence Is Golden
by MsAnimefreak92
Summary: Temperance Brennan and her partner Agent Booth are put on a case where silence seems to be key. Without much to go on other than the victim's ID and the few things the family can give the case is going nowhere. Not to mention Brennan's reaction at the crime scene and to the victim when in the lab leaves many questions. Can they solve the case and Brennan's problem? Rated M in case!
1. Strange Case

**I love this show and decided to try my hand at writing a fanfic for it! **

Temperance Brennan had seen many crime scenes, too many to count, but this one was exceptionally gruesome. She examined the remains, if the sight wasn't bad enough, the stench was beyond overbearing. The smell of a strong cleaner, partially cooked meat, and days of decay singed her nose. For some reason it all sickened her more than usual, but she had to finish her job.

"The victim seems to be female, by the pelvic bones and the size of the skull, it's possible she was between eighteen to early twenties." Temperance sighed and stood "I can't discern anything more until we get to the lab, there's too much flesh."

Cam knelt down "That's my cue to take over; there are lacerations to the arms and her legs, probably to make cooking the victim and disposing in a strong cleaner of some sort to try to rid of the body fast. Also by the amount of scavenging, decay, and bug infestation Hodgins can give us an actual length of how long this victim has been deceased."

Temperance quickly turned away taking a few deep breaths as Booth jotted a few things down "Okay, can you tell me anything about ethnicity? Hey Bones, are you okay?"

"I'm extraordinary, just focus on the case, I'll be fine." Temperance groaned starting to step a little further away from the victim.

"Yes, by some of the less cooked flesh I find she's Caucasian. Dr. Brennan, where are you going?" Cam looks up to Temperance hurrying away and towards a nearby tree.

Booth hurries over to Temperance's side to find she is gagging "This is new, is something wrong Bones?"

She sighs and looks back at him "I'd very much like to go now. I'm not needed right now and-"

"Hey Dr. Brennan, come look at this." Cam called looking over at her team member cutting off whatever else Temperance was about to say.

Temperance took a few more deep breaths and returned to the victim and Cam "What is it?"

"The victim not only has a melted ring, it seems, and her wallet is completely intact with ID." Cam pointed out "Whoever did this purposely left the wallet. They didn't care to hide the victim's identity, but if that was the case why the brutal treatment."

"Okay, that is evidence we can use. I'm telling you, this killer wants to be caught." Booth put his pad away as Temperance hurried off again.

Temperance stumbled behind the nearby tree this time and got sick. Before she stood straight a familiar warm hand rubbed her back gingerly. She didn't have to look to see that it was Booth and she slowly straightened up. His arm slid around her and she looked at him disappointedly.

"What's wrong, was it something you ate or a bug?" Booth wondered concerned and turned to Cam "Hey Cam, we're leaving for the lab and such, Temperance isn't needed anymore, right?"

Cam stared at her friends and colleagues concerned by Booth supporting Temperance "Of course, go on ahead."

"I think, I'm fine now Booth. It's probably nothing." Temperance smiled reassuringly and pushed him away.

Booth stayed practically glued to her side until she was in the vehicle. Then he was in the driver's seat and silently pulling away from the scene. He didn't believe that Temperance was truly okay, but she was too hardheaded so she'd never listen to him.

"So what do you think an easy case or what?" Booth tried to be polite and levelheaded.

Temperance glanced at him knowingly "That depends, on fake ID, or any other possible complications. That crime scene is not where that person was originally murdered. Anyways I'm fine, I think it had more to do with smell than anything."

"Fine, but you do it again and I'll take you to the hospital because that was unlike you." Booth smiled and drove on.

Temperance shook her head "If it will help you feel better, I'll gladly go if it reoccurs. I doubt it will though, I am usually very controlled in these situations, I do cases with you every day."

Booth rolled his eyes "Just because you work with it every day does not make you immune to all the barbaric things we've come across. Sweets would say it has to do with a psychological mumbo-jumbo thing."

"As you know I don't believe in Sweet's psychology and anyways it's likely that it was just how strong the fumes were. I need you to check on Christine after we get to the lab for me." Temperance smiled at him.

* * *

Temperance stood in Hodgins's office as he explained "Its industrial cleaner that's for sure, but I'm still narrowing down the kind. There was some sort of oil covering the victim's body as well; large traces seeped into the wounds. I'll tell you what I find."

Hodgins eagerly stared at his new little bug buddies in their container before looking up "I wish I had been there at the scene, but I got caught up with paperwork here. They said you got sick, man that is a rarity."

"Hodgins thank you for the briefing, and you should concentrate on the job, not on what my stomach does." Temperance gives him a disgusted look "What is that smell?"

Hodgins sighs and looks around "It doesn't smell any worse than normal except for the added smell of the ground bugs that I recently got. Some of them died from the chemical cleaner."

Temperance nods beginning to walk away "Excuse me just get back with me on your findings later."

Temperance couldn't leave the room fast enough; she gagged a little, before composing herself to step up to the platform where the victim lay. She slowly began to check through Cam's findings in the binder and her own as she went over the remains again. Again the smell revolted her, they had yet to clean the bones because Hodgins and the others were still gathering particulates, but she went over the bones she could see and x-rays. There were nicks where the object used to cut the skin had made contact with the bones. She held her breath as she backed away and turned to the belongings that the girl had on her.

The victim had yet to be identified, but it was clear by the x-rays that she was some sort of writer. Cam walked up onto the platform after briefly swiping her badge and walked over to Temperance who was going back over the x-rays again.

"Dr. Brennan, did you find anything new?" Cam asked as she prepared to move the victim to finally get the victim ready for a bone cleansing.

Temperance shook her head letting go of the breath she was holding "No, nothing that would really help, but there are small nicks on the bone from whatever cut the flesh. Um, she seems like a writer, but we already knew that….Um, excuse me."

The stench of the victim and cleaner sent her hurrying away before Cam could reply. She hurried to the nearest bathroom and what little stomach content she had left, she now flushed down the toilet as she wiped at her face with a paper towel. Quickly she washed her hands and pulled a piece of gum from the pack she had in her pocket. Booth would be back at the lab soon to get her and he would surely haul her off to the hospital if he knew. She rushed back to her office to begin paperwork and make herself busy so as not to draw attention more than she had with her mad dash for the restroom.


	2. Strange Behaviour

**Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll! :)**

Booth walked into the lab, but before he could reach Temperance's office Cam pulled him to the side. He expected it to be about the case and something he needed to know about the victim. Cam pulled him into her office and he waited unsure what was going on.

"Is something wrong with Dr. Brennan? Is she sick or something?" Cam said as soon as she closed the door.

Booth looked at her confused "You mean about at the crime scene?"

"Yes and no, she won't go near Hodgins's office and she only stays at the platform for the briefest of moments as soon as one of us walks up. Did she have a fight with Hodgins or is she angry?" Cam seemed concerned more so than usual because Temperance never avoided Hodgins's office before or left the platform while doing her examinations unless it was of the utmost importance.

"I don't think she's mad at anyone, she would've said. She did get sick earlier at the scene, but she said it was highly likely the fumes from that chemical. Bones knows her limits, but I don't know." Booth thought about it "How many times as she left the platform like that?"

Cam shifted uncomfortably "Three or four times, and few of those times she seemed headed for the bathroom, but I don't think she's eaten much for lunch either."

"Okay, that definitely isn't like Bones. I'll find out and get back to you." Booth moved toward the door.

"Oh please don't tell her that it was me that voiced my concerns, I don't need her mad at me for butting into her business." Cam said as he opened the door and he headed straight for Temperance's office.

Booth was at the doorway to her office in seconds and he watched as Temperance moved around her office pulling books off of a shelf. She turned and smiled as she set the books on her desk. He noticed she was chewing gum and that her hair was in a little disarray as if she had been working herself to the bone or something to that effect.

"You're here, was it a real ID?" she walked up still smiling.

Booth fixed her hair "Yeah, the victim is Rachel Loveless, a columnist for a local magazine. She was 22 years old, we have to go talk to the parents and I know you could find something at the house that might be useful."

"Of course, is something wrong Booth?" Temperance steps back confused as she grabs he satchel.

"Actually someone came to me concerned and said you've been acting strange. Are you still sick or something?" Booth said as she escorted her out of her office toward the exit.

She shrugged trying her best to act nonchalant "No, why would you ask that and what do you mean strange? I have acted no different than normal."

Booth scratched his head "Um well, I was told you left the platform quite a lot. You even rushed toward the bathroom and I heard you haven't eaten."

"Oh did it seem that out of the ordinary for me to be taking my job so seriously? I'm fine, Booth." Temperance said defensively.

Booth stopped and stared at her "No you're not, you're chewing gum, and you're running from the platform several times, avoiding Hodgins's office."

Temperance looked at him annoyed as she threw the gum in a nearby trashcan "Here, the gum is gone and I prefer to let Hodgins do his work in peace. I wasn't running from the platform at all!"

"Whoa, whoa, okay. I was just checking if you were okay?" Booth threw his hands up in defense.

Suddenly Angela came around the corner "Hey sweetie, I could hear you all the way from my office. Are you okay?"

"I'm-I'm better than okay, sorry Angela. I just got a little upset." Temperance sighed calming herself "Come on Booth; let's get to the victim's house."

"Hey, take this and eat. You can't work on an empty stomach." Angela handed Temperance a tuna sandwich "I noticed you hadn't eaten at all."

"Thanks Angela, that was considerate of you." Temperance gives a halfhearted smile and begins to walk off.

"Hey Booth, you might want to take her home for some rest. She seems a little worse for wear. I'll tell Cam she needed to go home to rest a little." Angela touched his arm "We're all concerned, but she's not the one to easily open up."

Booth nods and laughs "Yeah, will do and I'll keep you all posted on the case."

Angela smiles and walks away and Booth tries to catch up to Temperance. He catches up to her, but she merely gives a slight sideways glance in acknowledgement nothing more. She's still annoyed and now unwilling to talk to him. Booth had a long day ahead of him if she was going to stay in this mood.


	3. Silent Treatment

**Thanks to all my readers! If people are willing to read, I will always be willing to write!**

Temperance moved around the room looking at the few pictures that lined the wall and on the small table next to the couch. As the victim's fiancé settled on the couch Booth waited for Temperance to join.

"Okay, we came here today because we have news of your missing fiancé." Booth solemnly sighed.

The man frowned begging Booth "Please, please tell me she's okay."

"I'm sorry to inform you, but she passed away. My partner and I are sent in when a body is found." Booth glanced at Temperance who moved to his side silently.

"Oh god, I love her so much, why…..Why did it have to be my Rachel?!" the man, Mr. Andy Joel, as Booth informed Temperance was his name cried out completely distraught.

"We think she was a victim of foul play. Did Ms. Loveless have any enemies or arguments with anyone recently in the past?" Booth asked glancing at Temperance.

Mr. Joel wiped at his eyes "N-no, not that I know of, but she was a journalist and v-very serious. She was doing some sort of undercover expose on some business that she had heard rumors about. Rachel-she never told me-she never told anyone much about it…"

"Did she act out of the ordinary the day she disappeared?" Temperance wondered as she looked around the room again.

"Um…she made breakfast, she-she kissed me goodbye, but-but she was in a hurry." Mr. Joel said through sobs.

Booth jotted some notes down "Do you know what business she was writing about?"

"N-no, like I said she'd… she'd never tell anyone anything…" Mr. Joel held his head in her hands.

"Does she have other family members that are still living? I can use all the help I can get to help solve the case of your fiancé's demise." Booth tried to be as discrete and sincere as possible.

Mr. Joel shook his head and got up "She's an only child, but her parents live nearby….Um g-give me a moment, I'll get you their address and numb-number."

Temperance turned to Booth and he looked at her with a longing gaze as if he wanted to hug her. She knew he was feeling sympathetic of the man and thinking of how he would feel in this situation, but she was still annoyed with him. She turned away and walked over to a picture of the victim and Mr. Joel along with a few friends posing at a beach. She let a half smile slide across her lips, the man obviously really loved the victim and wasn't shy to show it in the picture. She turned as she heard returning footsteps and the tearing of paper.

"H-here…..is th-that all you need?" Mr. Joel handed Booth the paper as more tears slid down his face.

Booth put the paper in his pocket after briefly looking at it "Yes, for now, let us know if you find or think of anything else. Again we're sorry for your loss."

"Yes, we're very sorry for your loss. I promise you I'll find who did this to her." Temperance walked toward the door without waiting for Booth to follow.

* * *

Temperance ignored Booth to the best of her ability as she walked up to the platform after he tried to take her home. She swiped her badge and grabbed a pair of gloves. She went over to the belongings the girl had on her. She looked through them finding nothing, but pens, old articles, a cellphone, and then she found a secret compartment on the inside of the girl's bag she had on her arm at the scene. She slid her fingers in it and found a tape recorder,

"Bones, you can't ignore me forever. What do you have there?" Booth complained looking over her shoulder.

"Here Booth, take this to Angela." She slid the phone in a bag and then pressed play on the recorder.

Voices rang out of the small device making Booth go silent "They'll find out! Let go of me! You can't hide this forever!"

The second voice, deep and rough growled "If Carol finds out that you know you'll be fired! I was trying to help you, but now you've dug your own grave! Go home and come back collected got it!"

There was the sound of movement and then the first voice spoke up "Seems I've struck a nerve with Roland, but now I've got to play it safe in order to get what I need. If I hang in just a little longer I can get my big payoff."

The recording stopped and Temperance put it in a bag as well "Take this too."

She was trying to stay compose, but the smell still covered the belongings and she was already close to her limit. Booth wasn't leaving though and she gave him a warning look as he moved closer. He stepped back from her and crossed his arms. She didn't speak, but merely acted like she was going over things.

"Hey Dr. Brennan, we're done with the bone cleansing. If you would like to examine them Hodgins should be bringing them back up here." Cam walked up at the perfect moment.

Temperance nodded and turned to her "Of course, would you take those to objects in Booth's hand to Angela. He doesn't want to do his job at the moment."

Cam walked over to Booth and held out her hand "Whoa, she is not happy, what happened?"

Booth dropped the bags in her hand "I brought up her behavior and she's been very bitter since."

"Ooh, cheer her up fast Booth. She'll take it out on us next." Cam hurried away without another word.

"Booth, I don't need a babysitter. Go make your calls and stuff, I'm quite busy." She paced herself as she walked away from the platform nauseated headed for Hodgins's lab.

"Oh no, we need to talk whether you're working or not." Booth followed.

Temperance sighed "Fine after work tonight, at home, goodbye Booth."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Bones." Booth finally left her side.

She stepped into Hodgins's office gagging as soon as Booth was out of sight. Hodgins looked at her funny, but smiled "Good news, I've got your bones clean, well most of them. Is something wrong Dr. Brennan?"

Temperance shook her head "Everything is fine, did you find anything out on the oil or cleaner?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting closer." Hodgins stared at his computers "There are still a few things the mass spectrometer can't identify."

"Ah excuse me, Hodgins." She could hold it down anymore and she ran to the bathroom.

It was as if she had no control of her body when it came to this case, she couldn't keep anything down every time she caught a good whiff of the stench. She had to at least get through this case before she even dared do anything else, but it was then that a knock came at the door.


	4. Possibilities

**Thanks to all my readers!**

Temperance opened the door to the bathroom and Angela stood in front of her. She looked her friend over unsure what to say to her about what was going on. Angela frowned at her appearance and then silently grabbed her arm gently pulling Temperance along.

"Wh-What is Angela? I have work to do." Temperance wondered as they strolled into her friend's office.

Angela shut the door behind them and shut her blinds "Sit down, sweetie. We need to talk, you're worrying me."

"I'm fine Angela, there is too much to do to sit around so if you excuse me." Temperance started toward the door, but Angel blocked her.

"No, no, no, you're going to listen to me so take a seat. I am your best friend and you will listen." She crossed her arms in finality.

Temperance took a seat on the sofa and sighed "Fine."

"You are getting sick a lot, blaming the fumes from the victim and her belongings, arguing with Booth, and avoiding Hodgins's room too. You should go home and rest or go to the doctor, at least get away from the lab until they bag the items. Please, Booth is here again and searching for you. I told him you went to get some coffee for us so here." Angela walked over to where two piping hot travel mugs of coffee sat.

"I see so you were trying to help me before Booth saw us. Thanks Angela I can really count on you." Temperance smiled as she stood "I will take your advice and leave for a while, but text me as soon as the stuff is bagged."

"Sure thing, but there is another reason for your reaction you might want to think about. You could be pregnant again." Angela said turning as her friend walked to the door.

Temperance briefly turned to her "That isn't possible, we've been safe. Trust me on that."

"Sweetie, don't be too confident. You know better than the rest of us in your anthropology ways how possible it is for the protection to be ineffective." Angela pointed out as her friend grabbed her coffee and left the room.

* * *

Booth had noticed Temperance's lack of interest in her coffee from earlier that now sat in the cup holder as they drove home sharing brief words about the case. She was intently staring out the windshield as if searching for something or someone, maybe just trying to avoid eye contact. It wouldn't be so conspicuous if he hadn't caught a glimpse of Angela pulling Temperance into her office moments after saying that Temperance had gone to get coffee. Temperance finally picked up her cup of coffee taking a sip grimacing as she realized it had cooled off more than she had thought before nonchalantly setting it back down.

"Bones, you're out in lala land there. You're very brief too; you are always so lively when it comes to the case. What's up?" he sighed trying to get a truthful answer out of her.

She turned to him being flippant "It's nothing to worry about; I'm just tired is all."

"Okay Bones, I know I'm overly protective of you a lot, but I mean who can blame me. We get in so many crazy situations and with your super rationalism as Sweets put it, it's unnerving. I have never seen you get sick like that at a crime scene or heard of you running off after the smell bothers you." Booth sighed feeling like he wasn't getting through to her at all.

"Booth, I understand. I just don't see the significance, some people react differently to the smells of certain things that's all. In fact, after some rest I intend to go in tonight to get the work I need to catch up on done." Temperance exhaled "I can't let this case go just because of some silly reaction."

Booth didn't reply, arguing with her would only make things worse than they were so he gave a slight nod and kept on course to the house. Temperance on the other returned to whatever she had been thinking on with that pensive look clear on her face.

* * *

Temperance covered her nose and mouth as she went over the remains. Unfortunately sleep had evaded her so as soon as Booth was out cold she got up and hurried into the Jeffersonian. She had been here an hour and had made some progress, Hodgins had left her the basics of what he found on the victim with a dumbed down version for Booth. Apparently the oil on the victim's skin was from a restaurant or deli, it hadn't been narrowed down yet, same with the cleaner, and there were bits of food particles that Hodgins had found on the body and belongings that were still being analyzed. She went over Cam's findings and could clearly tell from the postmortem injuries were dealt right before whatever resulted in her death.

It was then that Temperance's eyes dampened realizing the pain the girl must have gone through and the thought that she could've been alive when cooked bothered her immensely. She had never cried over a case unless you included the thirteen year old boy or the cases where animals were killed. She didn't see a logical reasoning in why she would cry over this case when she's dealt with many like it. Was she going insane from lack of sleep or could it be something she couldn't dare imagine because Booth and she had been so careful.

Feeling tired finally, from all the crying, she went back to the office deciding to crash on her own office sofa for some rest. After getting comfortable it took mere seconds and she was out peacefully asleep on the comfort of the familiar sofa.


End file.
